


Returning from Then to Change the Now

by NekoIzumi



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Derek and Stiles are Mates, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, M/M, Magic, Mentioning of drug use, Mentioning of prostitution, Middle aged Stiles, Minor Character Death, Time Travel, Young Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 14:03:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoIzumi/pseuds/NekoIzumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having turned the light on he went behind the counter to leave his jacket in the staffroom… only to blink at the confused form turning to him and staring with wide hazel green eyes. Even after all this time Stiles would recognise those eyes anywhere, even if they belonged to a boy he technically had never met. How had he gotten here, why was he here? Was it some spell gone wrong again? Wouldn’t be the first time.<br/>“Derek?” he said softly… earning a slow nod. “What are you doing here?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Returning from Then to Change the Now

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer; I don’t own Teen Wolf, I don’t want to. Neither do I profit from writing this fic.

“Where the hell is he!?”

“Maybe you did something wrong?”

“I have done nothing of the sort.” Deaton replied calmly. “If the boy went elsewhere then that means that what he needs isn’t here.”

“You said he'd come so we could tell him to leave Paige and Kate alone.” Derek snarled. “If he's not here then obviously you did something wrong! You're the one with the magic!”

The veterinarian sighed deeply. “See these circles, see how they're not glowing anymore? That means that the spell was successful and that the boy is in fact here, well, now.”

“Well, he's not **here** , so **where** is he?” Isaac ran a hand through his hair. After all the preparation they had gone through, the spell that had drained them all… only to have it misfire. No wonder Derek was positively vibrating with fury. Although the Lahey wasn’t quite sure where he got the energy from considering all of them lay panting on the floor, exhausted after what they had just done.

Deaton shrugged. “He has gone to someone who loves him dearly.”

They all blinked at him… then glanced to Jennifer. She blinked right back at them.

“But **I** love Derek!”

“True. But someone loves him more than you do.”

 

-

 

Stiles sighed where he walked down the street, his hands shoved in his pockets to keep some warmth. His breath came out in white puffs of air as he walked but he paid it no attention, after all, the better part of the year was cold here. He sighed again as he walked up the stairs to a small record shop, unlocked the door and went inside only absentmindedly turning the alarm off and kicking off the snow off his boots. At least the store was warm, not that he saw that many customers but hey, it wasn’t his store so what did he care if the electricity bill skyrocketed for nothing. He got paid to sell old vinyl records, dust off the shelves and sit on his ass so it could’ve been a lot worse. Not what he went to school for again, it could’ve been worse.

 

Having turned the light on he went behind the counter to leave his jacket in the staffroom… only to blink at the confused form turning to him and staring with wide hazel green eyes. Even after all this time Stiles would recognise those eyes anywhere, even if they belonged to a boy he technically had never met. How had he gotten here, _why_ was he here? Was it some spell gone wrong again? Wouldn’t be the first time.

“Derek?” he said softly… earning a slow nod. “What are you doing here?”

“I-… I was on my way to school and then there was a bright light and when it went away… I was here.” the teen answered worriedly. “Where am I? Who are you?” He frowned at the older man. “Why am I here?”

“I'm Stiles.” the Stilinski smiled softly, making sure not to crowd the boy in the small space of the staffroom as he sank down on the floor. It seemed like the boy had just woken up here. “You’re in a small town in north Alaska, it’s where I live. As for why you're here, I don’t know. I can only assume some magic is involved somehow, assuming you're taken from your time and brought here, your older self is probably up to something again.”

“My older self?” came the unsure question. “What do you mean?”

“The last time I saw you, Derek, I was 18.” The smile on the Stilinski's features softened. “I'm 38 now so that was 20 years ago.” Stiles murmured. “If you're here and you're just a teenager, then your pack is up to something again. Probably Lydia and Deaton dabbling in some hocus-pocus.”

“My pack?”

“It’s a long story, it can wait for some other time. Are you hungry?”

 

Stiles didn’t care if it was time traveling or other dimensions or aliens or plain figments of his imagination, he was grateful the boy had suddenly showed up. He hadn’t had contact with the pack in Beacon Hills for 20 years now, he was becoming an old man… and he had missed the Hale all this time, against better judgement though. They say distance make the heart grow fonder. Stiles could attest that distance gives nothing but heartache, especially when the heart knows it’s alone in the longing. But it hadn’t stopped him from living… or loving from afar. The downside of being stubborn no matter how used you were to rejection.

 

“You really don’t know why I'm here?” Derek asked lowly behind him. He had come closer, hesitantly scenting the air around the other man, earning a little smile. “No hint at all?”

“Probably an attempt at changing the past and it all started with you.” He shrugged. “Have you met Paige yet?” Stiles asked… chuckling at the slightly dreamy look in beautiful eyes.  A dead giveaway.

“She plays the cello.”

“How nice.” If he said that she still played it then the innocent girl was still alive, and safe. It also confirmed  Stiles’ idea of what the others were trying to do. Unless he was hallucinating that is. He really wouldn’t put it past him these days. “For her sake, and for your own, I’d advise you to stay away from her though, not matter how pretty she is or how much you love her. A lot of grief comes from you taking that path.” he murmured while fiddling with baloneys on buttered bread.

“How can any grief come from liking someone?”

 

The question was innocent… and it tore at Stiles’ heart. Yeah, how could any grief come from liking someone indeed? Derek still didn’t know how his love for Paige would kill her, how his infatuation and lust for Kate would lead to the death of his family… how Stiles’ love for Derek would have him running without finding peace for 20 years. The boy was too naïve, too innocent and pure to know… he was untouched by sorrow and death.

“Let’s just say that it’s better for so many people if you don’t approach that girl. I'm sure she's lovely and beautiful and perfect but trust me when I tell you to let her go.” Warm whiskey brown eyes met confused hazel green. “She won’t survive the Bite you want her to accept, it'll kill her.”

“You know about-…”

 

The Stilinski chuckled but nodded while waving for the kid to sit by the table and eat while he prepared tea for the both of them.

“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry, I'm not a Hunter or anything. I won’t hurt you.”

“I know you won’t.” Derek frowned. He didn’t see the surprise in brown eyes.  “I can smell it on you.” he continued lowly, unsurely. “My wolf… he knows you won’t hurt me.”

“Your wolf is brighter now than he was the last time I met him.” Stiles snorted. “No offense but parts of you don’t age with grace.”

“So I become stupid?”

 

The Stilinski nearly choked on the tea in his effort not to laugh out loud. In the end he gave in and laughed out loud anyways.

“I wouldn’t say stupid per say…” he finally managed to press out. “But you don’t really listen to reason or common sense.” He winked at the frowning Hale. “You get a bit if a martyr-complex too. Whatever, when you go back to where you came from, avoid Paige and stay the hell away from all Argents, Kate in particular. She's an evil bitch and will hurt you and your family. Just saying.”

“Why would I be interested in an old woman?” Derek looked slightly disgusted. He only looked more confused when the other laughed again, harder this time. What was so funny? But in fact it wasn’t funny at all.

 

-

 

Stiles watched the boy sleep soundly from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He had kept Derek with him at work today, let the boy listen to records, laughed with him, had him watch a few movies on his laptop, talked to him about lighter subjects than the past… all the while his chest hurt. Gods how he missed the wolf, he missed his snarls, his growls, his glares… he had let himself believe that there really hadn’t been anything there to love, that Derek was emotionally retarded and unable to feel things like love again… and then the boy came along and crushed his carefully raised defences had they been a mere house of cards and he a gust of wind.

This Derek Hale, this boy with joy in his eyes, with laughter that pearled through the room and a warm smile was so different from the adult that Stiles had gotten to know a lifetime ago.

 

Stiles ached to hold the child close but that was exactly the problem, this Derek was a child and Stiles… Stiles was an middle-aged man and no matter how much he _longed_ for the touch of the other, he had no intentions of hurting the boy. He wasn’t Kate fucking Argent, and although he wouldn’t set any buildings on fire, holding such innocence and then let him return to his own time or world or whatever he came from, it wouldn’t be that different from what she had done. She had taken everything he had and left him out in the cold. Stiles refused to do the same.

He'd rather have nothing than have a crumb and beg for more. Hadn’t he suffered enough already?

 

Having taken a last glance at the boy, making sure he really slept, safe and warm under the thick duvet the Stilinski carefully closed the door and did something he hadn’t done since his father died. He pulled out the bottle of jack he kept in a cupboard, poured a generous glass and downed it. With the scotch burning down his throat… he allowed himself to cry.

 

-

 

“It’s a full moon tonight.” Stiles smiled when the boy came into his small kitchen the next morning. He looked too sweet for words in a t-shirt too large for his slender frame. “Do you want to run?”

“I'm… I don’t think it would be… safe.” Derek murmured but smiled when he was presented with pancakes swimming in maple syrup.

“No worries, this is a small town and as far as I know there aren’t any werewolves here. If there are I'll protect you.”

“You? Protect me? But you're just a hu-HEY!”

“No pancakes for little bratty boys who don’t know an emissary when they see one.” Stiles quipped taking the plate away before Derek could stab any food. He grinned when he saw hazel green flash yellow. “And even less for bratty boys who think that growling and glaring will get them anywhere.”

“I can take you down, you know.” Derek growled lowly when the older man laughed… while holding the plate at a safe distance away from him. “I may be only a Beta but I'm still a wolf!”

“You’re a 16 year old who hasn’t learned how to fight dirty yet.” Stiles grinned, winking when the teen sputtered as he found himself neatly stuck in his chair because of the rather tight circle of mountain ash on the floor. “Now say ‘please’ and I just might let you have these back, Sourwolf.”

“Please.”

 

Whiskey brown eyes blinked… but he did release the barrier and put the plate down like he had promised… only to yelp when he was neatly tackled to the floor. So maybe the kid knew how to play dirty after all. He used innocence that the adult didn’t have. Good trick.

 

Stiles froze when he felt the boy sniff his neck carefully. A flood of memories washed over him but he didn’t move. Better let the kid scent him and move away than-…

“You smell like home.” the wolf interrupted him lowly. “Why do you smell like home?”

“Derek, I'm-…”

“You smell like-… something, something important.” Young features frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand. If you smell like this and I've met you before… why didn’t I feel it?”

“This isn’t-”

“You’re my mate.”

 

All fight abruptly left the older man and flopped back down on the floor, limp. He swallowed hard knowing the boy heard his thundering heartbeats. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if it was possible to get bruises from the inside because it hurt how hard it beat. His mind was hurting too from another flood of memories, this time questioning each and every runin with the wolf. Had there been any such signs?

“I am not your mate.” he answered slowly. “I'm not even your friend or part of your pack.”

“I don’t understand…” Derek leaned closer, still frowning. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” So what if he was lying, it’s not as if Derek would know why. “Things just… didn’t work out that way. As far as I know you're probably married with kids by now.”

“But-… I can smell it, you're my mate!”

 

Stiles gently pushed the boy away but stroked his cheek softly while moving to sitting leaned against the fridge.

“I’m not your mate.” he murmured, stroking a stubble-free cheek tenderly. “Not in this world and time.”

“Mates are mates everywhere and always.” It was said so as-a-matter-of-factly it felt a bit like a slap in the face.

“Derek…” The sigh was enough for the boy to move away… unwillingly. He was still so confused, if Stiles was his mate… why was Derek married to someone else? It didn’t make sense!

“Stiles?”

 

His name said that way, by Derek, was a punch to the Stilinski's gut. He couldn’t stop himself, his hand shot out and he pulled the boy closer, holding him to his chest hard while burying his nose in the soft dark tresses. Gods how he wanted to reverse time, he wanted to go back so bad and change things but he couldn’t.

Was he really Derek's mate… how could he be? He had never known he was Derek's mate, Derek had never said anything but why would he? Their last meeting had been anything but friendly… and it was such a long time ago. The hair by Stiles’ temples was starting to turn grey, he had wrinkles around his eyes, he looked constantly tired and Derek was just a boy, or at least this one was. He couldn’t even imagine what Derek back in Beacon Hills looked like, he didn’t want to know. He wished Derek all the happiness in the world, he just didn’t want to see it.

“You were brought here for a reason.” he pressed out after a while, when his voice wasn’t on the verge of cracking. “I'm taking you to Beacon Hills.”

 

-

 

It didn’t take him long to resign from his job, he knew he wasn’t going to stay in the small town forever, and it took even less time to pack up what little he owned in the truck and get on the road. He had money, he had nothing to spend it on so it wasn’t an issue and it was about time to find a new place to stay. He had been without an anchor for so long it felt like just another day when he smiled at the boy in the seat next to him before pulling out on the big road out of the city. He had bought Derek a jacket and some change of clothes, he had made sure the boy had everything he needed, made sure there was enough food with them for a long haul down south and that was it. He had rented the flat furnished and what little furniture he owned he had either left or stuffed in the back under the hood along with all his clothes, books and records.

 

They talked while he drove, talked about Derek's family, about Stiles’, about sports, friends, about the past and the future. They talked about movies, music, comics, about food and health and sweets. There wasn’t a single subject they didn’t touch. Stiles cackled rather evilly when they talked about sex and Derek flushed, sputtering about what an embarrassing old man the Stilinski was. The teen listened when Stiles told him how he had roamed around after he had left Beacon Hills for the last time after his father’s funeral, how he had been a stray, never living in one place for more than a few years before moving on to the next city or village or town.

He had learned some magic here and there, nothing much but enough to protect him should he need it, he had always made sure to keep his head low. Stiles told him what little he knew of Derek's past, of what had happened and the mess it had ultimately lead to.  They had both been deep in their own thoughts for hours after that.

 

Getting over the border was no problem, Stiles had all the papers and went over with the truck while Derek got over further into the forest and ran back to the road further down. Stiles didn’t know how anxious the boy was to get to him, not because of the lack of pack and the unfamiliar territory, but because of his scent, his warmth, he didn’t know that Derek felt his sadness… without understanding where it came from. Mates were rare, few werewolves actually found their other half, why had his older self not claimed him when it was so painstakingly obvious who Stiles was? Why had he ignored it? Had he felt it at all? Why had he chosen to ignore something so important and precious? He wanted to know… but more than he wanted that he wanted Stiles to accept him. The older man didn’t mind holding him, he let Derek sleep in the same bed, safe and sound, close to someone his wolf had recognised only minutes after seeing him for the first time… and yet… no matter how hard Stiles held him, no matter how gentle his hands were when they brushed his hair out of his eyes or caressed his face, he refused to let Derek in. Not entirely. There was always a part of him that he held out of the boy’s reach.

 

-

 

Stiles drove for hours what with being the only one with a driver’s license, only stopping for fuel and food, he wasn’t tired so he kept on driving. He had been tired for over 10 years but now he felt like he had all the energy in the world. So he kept on driving through Canada, watched the sun set, watched it rise, not stopping for more than short pauses and a couple of hours to let the boy run and stretch his legs. He was going back to Beacon Hills, the place where it all started… and where it all ended. He still remembered that day when everything went to hell and he had left never to return. At least not until his dad died in a completely pointless drive by shooting.

 

He had loved Derek for years, had kept his feelings hidden away in the depths of his heart because he had been so insecure and he had tried so very hard to please, to be useful, and he still didn’t know whether he was a member of the pack or not, and he had been high on adrenaline after yet another chase and fight that they had won by a hair… and when Derek pushed him up against yet another wall to tell him how stupid he was for getting in the way _again_ he snapped. He had surged forward and kissed those lips that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about, had tasted them, had poured everything he had, everything he was, his entire heart into that one kiss… and been rudely pushed away while Derek stared at him… with disgust.

Stiles hadn’t apologised for the kiss, he hadn’t apologised for anything, what had he to apologise for? Instead he had left the loft without a word, without a voice… and without a heart.

 

His world had come crumbling down around him not long after that. His dad’s death which had lead him to drop out of college, the drug addiction that had followed, getting clean, getting back to college and graduate like his parents had so wanted, get a job, a life… he hadn’t really stayed long enough anywhere to feel like he wanted to die there when the time came so he had always moved on after a while. He had had relationships, of course he had had relationship, he had even moonlighted as a prostitute for a while while on drugs because he refused to use his dad’s life insurance money, but none that had made him feel like home, like young Derek said he felt like to him… he just hadn’t felt like it. And now… what was there left? Was there anything left? What had he left to offer? A bunch of scars and some memories?

 

Stiles glanced to the side where the boy lay sleeping. Rather than leaning against the window like most people, he had opted for lying down with his head by the Stilinski's thigh, snuggling the older man’s jacket instead of his own. A hand that was a lot stronger than it looked had a light grip Stiles’ sweater hem.

Carefully the older man pulled over at a rest stop where RVs and caravans were parked for the night, and leaned over the smaller form, breathing him in with slow deep breaths. He hadn’t felt that smell in years but now it was different, clean of the smoke that had always followed the older cracked Derek around, clean of the grief and the anger, leaving only  _Derek_ behind, leaving only the scent of pine resin and sweat and boy and _life_.

 

“I want you to be happy.” he whispered softly. “I want you to have everything you deserve, all the love you can possibly get, I want you to **live**.” He pressed a gentle kiss to a fragile temple. “But you'll find none of those things with me so I'm taking you back home, to where you belong.” Stiles allowed himself another deep inhale, another feather light kiss, then he straightened his back, put in first gear and continued driving.

 

-

 

The road trip down to California was nothing like Derek had ever experienced before. Granted, he was only 16 and had never really left home before but the drive was different, even he knew that. Stiles was gentle and sweet, a bit sharp around the edges some times, he wasn’t scared of Derek's wolf at all and he always put Derek first. He always made sure Derek wasn’t hungry, that he slept in a soft bed at the end of the day, that he had something to do, even if it was only reading books… he always held him hard when Derek felt so very confused and lonely without his pack. He made little detours just for them, to visit a great tiny little diner in the middle of nowhere, to go see the smallest aquarium he had ever seen, to go to the ocean where he watched Derek swim and learn how surf while Stiles sat on the beach cheering for him. But as they neared Beacon Hills Stiles got antsier, more restless and although his touch and his gaze were as warm as before, he simply couldn’t relax. It was as if he was being haunted by something the closer he got to home.

 

And then came the day, almost two weeks after they had left Alaska, they finally reached California. Derek's wolf wanted to calm and soothe, wanted to make sure his mate knew he was safe what with the pacing and nervous fidgeting but Stiles couldn’t seem to sit still long enough to let him. He had taken in at a cheap motel the next town over and there he waited until night fell before suddenly lifting the phone in the room and dialling a number.

_‘Alan Deaton speaking.’_ came a low voice.

“It’s Stiles.”

_‘Mr Stilinski! Long-time no see!’_ the vet answered warmly. _‘To what do I have this pleasure?’_

Whiskey brown eyes turned to the boy on the bed.

“I have someone here that I'm sure you’ve been looking for.” he murmured lowly.

Tense silence followed for a minute where the vet had no idea what to say. But then,

_‘Thank gods he's safe. Where are you? I'll come for him.’_

“No, I'll come to you. You know that old outdoor movie place? Come alone.”

_‘Of course. I'll be there in 30 minutes.’_

A few minutes and some empty pleasantries later they both hung up and Stiles turned a little smile to the silent wolf.

“That’s it, you're going home, Sourwolf.”

“I don’t want to leave you, I want to stay with you.” Derek was on the verge of tears.

“We don’t always get what we want, Sourwolf.” He needed some distance, reminding himself that this wasn’t real, that this child would soon return to where he came from, that this Derek that he had been allowed to see wasn’t real, it helped him remember where and who he was. He was Stiles Stilinski, and that was it. No titles, no family, no relatives, no friends. No past, no present and no future. It’s how he wanted it. “Let’s get moving, we don’t want to let Deaton wait, he's creepy enough as it is.”

 

-

 

Deaton was late as it turned out but Stiles knew he'd show up, hopefully without company. The druid was more than aware of the tension between his old apprentice and the pack leader and he doubted that letting Derek's younger self see how the Alpha was now would calm him down. So they sat on the truck bonnet and waited while watching the stars glimmer over the long since abandoned parking lot.

“Why did you leave Beacon Hills?”

“I had nothing that kept me here when my dad died.” came the low answer. “I had nothing to stay for.”

“Did I chase you away?”

“No, I chose to leave.”

“But you love me… right?” Pleading hazel green eyes met whiskey brown. “I can smell it on you, you love me.” He said carefully, unsurely moving to braid his fingers with the older man’s. They squeezed him slightly.

Stiles chuckled softly but nodded. “Yeah, I love you, always have, and always will. Gods know why though.”

“Then why aren’t we together?”

“Because,” the Stilinski murmured when he saw Deaton finally pull in on the parking lot. Gods, he had aged. He pulled the boy into a tight hug, murmuring over a sensitive ear. “, _you_ don’t love _me_.”

With that said he shoved the boy’s duffel in his hands, turned him towards the smiling vet, got in his car and drove away. He didn’t look in the rear-view mirror, didn’t check if Derek ran after him, didn’t see if he even watched him leave. He didn’t want to know either. He was moving on to the next temporary stop in life.

 

-

 

Derek had been less than impressed with what he had seen when he was brought to the Hale-house and faced with what was apparently his new pack. It was obvious that this group consisted of very skilled people and they were all tight after everything they had gone through together… and yet none of these people had made anywhere near the same kind of impression on him as Stiles had done. Least of them his own older self.

“You’re an arrogant dick.” he voiced suddenly, successfully cutting off all conversation around him.

The older version growled at him but Derek wasn’t very keen on submitting, he wasn’t his own Alpha. “And that woman isn’t your mate, no matter what you tell yourself. She's something alright, but your mate she is not.”

Jennifer should be angry or insulted but she wasn’t, she merely shrugged at him and wasn’t that all kinds of wrong?

 

“Uhm, Derek… is this supposed to happen?” the one called Scott whined. Derek wasn’t impressed with him either, he looked like he had been punched a few times too many in the face and he seemed to have the IQ of a retarded hamster. He'd need a lot more than pleading brown eyes if he wanted something, anything from Derek.

“No, it’s not. He's supposed to _listen_ and then do what he's told.” the Alpha muttered. “Listen, kid. When you return to your own time, stay away from Kate Argent, okay? She's nothing but trouble.”

“I know. And I know that I have to stay away from Paige too, that she won’t survive the Bite, that Uncle Peter is a scheming psycho and that you have absolutely no common sense whatsoever.” The teen shrugged. “I also know you're a sorry excuse for a wolf… and that you tend to lose all your fights so I really need to ask mom to train me harder. I'm ashamed of myself knowing what I know now.”

 

The Alpha snarled in the younger Hale’s face but the boy wasn’t going to budge.

“I met your mate, you know?” he asked instead. “Yeah, Dr Deaton told me in the car here that the spell that brought me here would send me to the person who loves you the most and I ended up in fucking Alaska, did you know that? You’ve got your woman there, whatever the hell she is, but did I show up at her place, no.”

“Alaska?” his own eyes blinked at him. He frowned. “You went to Alaska?”

Derek pushed the older man away from his immediate breathing space and shrugged again.

“Yeah, when I opened my eyes I sat on the floor in some dingy staffroom in a record store in Alaska. That’s where your _mate_ was.”

“My mate.” the older echoed.

 

It earned him a bone-dry glance from the teen. “Yeah, your _mate_. I'm sure you know him, he's called _Stiles_.”

The entire pack, humans, Darach and wolves alike, stared at him.

“You met Stiles?” Lydia whispered. She was a lovely woman, she had obviously aged beautifully but there was something detached about her that disturbed the teen and her husband behind her felt wrong altogether. What on earth had he been thinking when he Bit these people and made them his pack? Not one of them felt like pack, like family… not one of them matched him and made him whole like only two weeks with Stiles had done.

“He drove me here, I don’t know where he is now.”

“What did he look like? Was he well? Is he alright?” Scott suddenly pleaded with him. “He’s my best friend!”

Only hazel green saw one of the Betas, a guy with curly hair, flinch at the words. Huh?

“I won’t tell you.”

 

They all stared at him.

“Why?” a longhaired blonde demanded. Her glare didn’t face him particularly, his mother freaked him out more than some leather wearing bimbo. “You met him, answer the question.”

“What do you care? If you do, call him.” Hazel green eyes narrowed. “Go on, pick up the phone and call him, ask him if he's alright or well or what he looks like.”

“We can’t.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we don’t have his number.”

“And how hard can it be to find? This may be 20 years into the future but I'm sure you’ve still got access to the _internet_.”

“Derek.” Scott pleaded. “Please.”

The boy though shrugged. “Not my problem. I spent two weeks with _my_ mate,” He shot the Alpha a glare. “, and he was everything I could’ve possibly wished for. He told me about you guys, about the fights, about the magic, about your weird love lives, about the fire and Argents and movie nights, he told me everything and answered all my questions. He took care of me and told me he loved me. He doesn’t want you to know, if he had he would’ve been here and I owe you guys nothing. I know why I was brought here and what to do so you can send me back now. I've got homework and a math-test coming up.”

 

“Did he tell you why he left?” Derek asked lowly, watching the younger version of himself. He didn’t remember being this-… _cold_ around people, had he always been this way? Had he become this way because of Paige? Or Kate? No, he hadn’t even met her yet. He was confused, he wasn’t sure what to think of this boy that looked like him but was nothing like him. Derek had been soft and mellow, gentle, as a child, what had happened to make him this way? He soon got the answer.

“Sure he did. He left Beacon Hills because _you_ didn’t want _him_. I will never forgive you for that if things don’t change you know? He didn’t even know he was your mate until I told him and he still loves you. Can that woman next to you say the same? No offense, Mrs _Hale_.”

“None taken.”

 

Ignoring the shocked silence the teen turned to the druid with a little smile. “Okay, I'm ready. Send me back.” He hoped, prayed that this would work, that it wasn’t just a weird dream, that he really could change the future, not for his family, not for himself… but for Stiles who had loved him for over 20 years and never gotten anything back. He wanted _Stiles_ to be happy, to find happiness and be loved, by _Derek,_ by _him_. He promised himself he'd remember, he'd always remember Stiles, his warm eyes, his gentle hands, his scent… his mate. _‘Some day, Stiles.’_ he thought as he felt magic tingle through his veins. _‘Someday I'll meet you again and when I do I will give you my all.’_

 

When he opened his eyes he was sitting next Laura, Laura who was singing along to the radio as she drove to school. _‘Wait for me, Stiles. Wait for me.’_

Smiling softly he sang along.

 

-

 

_‘Why did they send me? I've got stuff to do, I've got research and essays up to my eyeballs so yeah, let’s send the busy college student to see who's trespassing, good idea, dad!’_ He looked up as he neared the two intruders… and abruptly froze. That scent, he knew it, he knew what it meant, _who_ it meant… Derek smiled, hurrying towards where he knew someone had  snuck into Hale-territory. He still remembered so clearly, still remembered what he looked like back then… and yet when he saw him, how young he was now, it took his breath away.

“This is private property.”

The two teens flinched at his words, they were apparently out in the forest looking for… an inhaler? Well, it wouldn’t be too easy to find… unless they had the help of a werewolf that is. Derek calmly took the inhaler he had stumbled over a few minutes prior out of his pocket and threw it to who he vaguely remembered being Scott.

“Uh… thanks, man. Sorry for uh, for trespassing.”

The Hale merely nodded, not being able to take his eyes off of the brunet. The sadness in the whiskey brown eyes was gone, there was no burden there, no broken heart, just curiosity and was that a blush? Derek smiled and the blush deepened. He knew he still had many an obstacle before he got his happily ever after but he was ready and more than willing to work hard… and this time he had his family there to help him and guide him.

_‘Hello there, my future.’_

“Need me to point you in the right direction?”

The boys nodded hesitantly and as they started walking through the trees to towards an old blue jeep, Stiles glanced at the older man… and smiled softly. Only Derek's sensitive hearing picked it up but the words were there.

“Took you long enough… Sourwolf.”

**Author's Note:**

> Brainfart. Have no idea where it came from, have no idea how he got there or back or how he changed things. Jotted this down in 5 hours and way too little sleep. I'm as confused as you guys are. There may or may not be a sequel to this somewhere down the line. Uh… hope you enjoyed it?  
> Added to the tags for trigger warning. Sorry about that. I'm still a newb at this tagging-thing.
> 
> I do NOT give permission to have any of my works put up on Goodreads or any other such site.


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